Desktop computer blade fault identification system and method

ABSTRACT

A method and system for remotely isolating faults in computer network devices coupled to a computer network. A plurality of first computer units are coupled to the computer network. The plurality of first computer units are located on a user side of the computer network. A plurality of second computer units are coupled to the computer network. The plurality of second computer units are located on a service provider side of the network. One of the plurality of second computer units is designated to provide computing services to one of the plurality of first computer units. One of the plurality of first computer units experiencing a fault communicating with its designated second computer unit uses another of the plurality of first computer units as a proxy computer unit to remotely isolate the fault.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Statement of the Technical Field

The present invention relates to desktop blade computer systems and moreparticularly to a desktop computer blade system and method foridentifying and isolating faults that occur within the system.

2. Description of the Related Art

The increasing popularity of consolidating hardware and serverapplication location through server blade technology has led to thedevelopment of desktop blade systems. Unlike the consolidation ofservers into server blade systems, desktop blade systems by designseparate the user and the “desktop” processing unit. For example, atypical desktop blade system includes one or more racks in a computerroom or area each having one or more “blades” installed therein, i.e. a“bladecenter”. Each blade in the bladecenter is a processing unit whichis allocated to a user and provides the same functionality as if theprocessing unit were located on the user's desk. The user is providedwith a small deskside device at the user's desk which providesinterfaces for a display unit and interface devices such as a keyboard,mouse and USB ports. The deskside device is typically hardwired to thebladecenter or coupled to the bladecenter using a known networkingtechnology such as Ethernet.

Using Ethernet and the Internet Protocol (“IP”) as an example, video andkeyboard/mouse information travel across the IP network viarouters/switches from the deskside unit to the desktop processor in thebladecenter. The separation of these devices over distance and via theIP network adds a number of points of failure that do not exist intraditional desktop computer installations where the desktop processoris located at the user location and is directly connected to theperipheral devices. More particularly, in a desktop blade environment,points of failure include the network, the deskside unit and the desktopprocessor blade (and/or the bladecenter). As a result, the user can'treadily assist with the identification of the nature of the problem andhas no way to communicate with the bladecenter if there is a problem.

As a result of the above-described shortcomings, current desktop bladesystem implementations require time consuming and expensive visits tothe deskside to identify and correct the problem. Also, during thistime, the user can not use their computer, thereby impactingproductivity. It is therefore desirable to have a desktop blade systemand method which can allows the system itself to identify the source offaults problems and take autonomic corrective action. In the case whereautonomic corrective action can not be taken, such as may occur when anon-redundant hardware, e.g., the deskside unit, failure requires avisit by a technician, it is desirable to have a system and method whichisolates the fault.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention addresses the deficiencies of the art in respectto authentication and provides a novel and non-obvious desktop bladesystem and method, for identifying faults and taking autonomiccorrective action. In this regard, the system makes use of the UDPprotocol and the existence of other deskside units to attempt to have adeskside unit experiencing a problem communicate with other desksideunits to have those units assist with the identification and resolutionof the problem.

According to one aspect, the present invention provides a system forremotely isolating faults in computer network devices coupled to acomputer network. A plurality of first computer units are coupled to thecomputer network. The plurality of first computer units are located on auser side of the computer network. A plurality of second computer unitsare coupled to the computer network. The plurality of second computerunits are located on a service provider side of the network. One of theplurality of second computer units is designated to provide computingservices to one of the plurality of first computer units. One of theplurality of first computer units experiencing a fault communicatingwith its designated second computer unit uses another of the pluralityof first computer units as a proxy computer unit to remotely isolate thefault.

According to another aspect, the present invention provides a method forremotely isolating faults in computer network devices coupled to acomputer network. The computer network devices include a plurality offirst computer units coupled to the computer network in which theplurality of first computer units are located on a user side of thecomputer network, a plurality of second computer units coupled to thecomputer network in which the plurality of second computer units arelocated on a service provider side of the network and one of theplurality of second computer units is designated to provide computingservices to one of the plurality of first computer units. One of theplurality of first computer units is determined to be experiencing afault communicating with its designated second computer unit. Another ofthe plurality of first computer units is used as a proxy computer unitto remotely isolate the fault.

According to still another aspect, a machine readable storage devicehaving stored thereon a computer program for remotely isolating faultsin computer network devices coupled to a computer network is provided.The computer network devices include a plurality of first computer unitscoupled to the computer network in which the plurality of first computerunits are located on a user side of the computer network, a plurality ofsecond computer units coupled to the computer network in which theplurality of second computer units are located on a service providerside of the network and one of the plurality of second computer units isdesignated to provide computing services to one of the plurality offirst computer units. The computer program includes a set ofinstructions which when executed by a machine causes the machine toperform a method in which one of the plurality of first computer unitsis determined to be experiencing a fault communicating with itsdesignated second computer unit. Another of the plurality of firstcomputer units is used as a proxy computer unit to remotely isolate thefault.

Additional aspects of the invention will be set forth in part in thedescription which follows, and in part will be obvious from thedescription, or may be learned by practice of the invention. The aspectsof the invention will be realized and attained by means of the elementsand combinations particularly pointed out in the appended claims. It isto be understood that both the foregoing general description and thefollowing detailed description are exemplary and explanatory only andare not restrictive of the invention, as claimed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute partof this specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention andtogether with the description, serve to explain the principles of theinvention. The embodiments illustrated herein are presently preferred,it being understood, however, that the invention is not limited to theprecise arrangements and instrumentalities shown, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a diagram of an exemplary system constructed in accordancewith the principles of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a flow chart of the overall process of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a flow chart of the client content request preparation andtransmission process (Step S210) of FIG. 2; and

FIG. 4 is a flow chart of the process of notifying the proxy desksidedevice and using the proxy deskside device to further isolate the fault(Step S316) of FIG. 3.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The present invention advantageously provides a method and system forfault isolation and notification for desktop blade system in a mannerwhich minimizes the need for the desktop blade user to participate inthe problem determination process despite the multiple points of failureexistent in a desktop blade system. The present invention thereforeprovides a method and system allows a user, via a deskside device thatcan not connect to a desktop blade to automatically notify thebladecenter to take autonomic corrective action. If an autonomic fix isnot possible, the present invention provides the ability to isolate thefault, thereby facilitating problem resolution.

Referring now to the drawing figures in which like reference designatorsrefer to like elements there is shown in FIG. 1 a system constructed inaccordance with the principles of the present invention and designatedgenerally as “100”. System 100 includes deskside units 102 a and 102 b(collectively referred to herein as deskside unit 102) in electroniccommunication with bladecenter 104 via communication network 106.

Bladecenter 104 includes one or more desktop blades 108 (two of whichare shown in FIG. 1 as desktop blade 108 a and 108 b), and a bladecentercontroller 110. Bladecenter 104 is typically located on the serviceprovider side of communication network 106 in a service providerfacility where multiple bladecenters 104 can be co-located andefficiently managed and maintained. Bladecenter controller 110 includesthe hardware necessary to allow bladecenter 104 to communicate withother devices, to control bladecenter functions such as the allocationof individual desktop blades 108 to users, i.e., the allocation ofdesktop blades 108 to deskside units 102 and to perform other functionsdescribed herein. Bladecenter controller 110 can include a centralprocessing unit, input/output interfaces, volatile and non-volatilememory, network interfaces and any other hardware as may be known in theart to control the operation of bladecenter 104. Accordingly, acomputing network is formed by the devices shown in FIG. 1. For example,computing network devices are those devices coupled to communicationnetwork 106, such as bladecenter 104 and/or its constituent parts anddesktop units 102.

Desktop blade hardware is generally known in the art and typicallyincludes those hardware elements required to allow desktop blades 108 tofunction as a desktop personal computer, to communicate with and acceptcontrol commands from bladecenter controller 110 and to perform theinventive functions described herein. For example, desktop blades 108include a central processing unit, operating system, volatile and/ornon-volatile memory and interface hardware and software needed to allowdesktop blade 108 to communicate with bladecenter controller 110 anddeskside units 102. Of note, although FIG. 1 shows a single connectionto communication network 106 from bladecenter controller 110, theinvention is not so limited. It is contemplated that direct connectionsbetween one or more desktop blades 108 and communication network 106 canbe made. Desktop blades 108 communicate with bladecenter controller 110using a communication backplane within the bladecenter 104 chassis orusing any other technique as may be known in the art.

Communication network 106 can be any network capable of transportinginformation from a deskside unit 102 to a bladecenter 104. Examples ofcommunication network 106 include Internet Protocol (IP) networks suchthe Internet, a telephone network and an electric company powerdistribution network. However, for the sake of simplicity, communicationnetwork 106 is referred to herein in the context of an IP network.

Deskside unit 102 can be any deskside device capable of performing thefunctions described herein and is located on the user side ofcommunication network 106 at or near the user's physical work space. Forexample, deskside unit 102 includes hardware for communicating withcommunication network 106 as well as appropriate software to do thesame. Deskside unit 102 also includes components such as non-volatileand volatile storage devices and interface hardware and software tosupport peripheral devices such as a keyboard 112, mouse 114 and monitor116. In operation, deskside unit 102 allows a user to view displayscreens on monitor 116 that were assembled by a desktop blade 108.Techniques for performing this function are known. Similarly, techniquesfor providing data to desktop blade 108 based on a user's manipulationof keyboard 112 and mouse 114 are known.

As described below in detail, deskside unit 102 preferably includescommunication software that allows deskside unit 102 to also communicatewith other deskside units 102. For example, the user datagram protocol(UDP) portion of the IP protocol stack can be used for suchcommunication. It is presumed that one of skill in the art can implementthe functions described herein with respect to deskside unit 102 todeskside unit 102 communication using a protocol like UDP.

In addition, although the example below is described with respect toUDP, it is contemplated that other broadcast and non-broadcast methodsof communicating with and locating other deskside units 102 can be used.For example, deskside units 102 can be configured with a predefined listof addresses, such as IP addresses, for other deskside units 102 can maybe available to assist with fault isolation and resolution. A desksideunit 102 experiencing a problem could try to communicate with otherdeskside units 102 in its subnet. There are also other registrationclass broadcast methods that can be used such as the CISCO GroupMulticast Protocol (“CGMP”), Generic Attribute Registration Protocol(“GARP”) and GARP Multicast Registration Protocol (“GMRP”). A routerregistration class could be defined for a system that would allow adeskside unit 102 to send an IP packet to the router that would then besent to every registered deskside unit 102.

Fault identification and autonomic process 118 is performed by desksideunits 102 and bladecenter 104. This process is described below in detailwith reference to FIGS. 2-4.

The overall process of the present invention is described with referenceto FIG. 2. Initially, deskside unit 102 tests for proper networkconfiguration (not shown). Such tests are known in the art and mayinclude tests to determine whether IP, gateway and Domain Name System(“DNS”) server addresses were acquired, such as via the Dynamic HostConfiguration Protocol (“DHCP”), that the deskside unit 102 can find thegateway, DNS servers, etc. The user is alerted if this basic startuptesting fails. Assuming the basic network configuration is proper, whenthe user wishes to log on, deskside unit 102 detects this request andtransmits a packet to bladecenter 104 to initiate the login (Step S200).The login request is a request to get assigned a desktop blade 108,obtain authorization for access, etc. Under normal operation, onceauthorized, user screens are sent to the deskside unit 102 for displayon monitor 116. In accordance with the present invention, deskside unit102 includes a timeout function so that if user screens are notreturned, it is assumed something is wrong and fault isolation iscommenced (Step S202). If user screens are returned, the desktop bladesystem 100 is presumed to be in normal operation (Step S204) and theprocess of the present invention ends. If user screens are not returnedafter a predetermined timeout period, fault isolation commences.

Initially, the problematic deskside unit 102 determines if anotherdeskside unit 102 can be found (Step S206). Under one embodiment, theproblematic deskside unit 102 can broadcast UDP packets in which the UDPpackets have an identification field that can be reserved for thefunction of locating another deskside unit 102. It is contemplated thatall deskside units 102 constructed in accordance with the principles ofthe present invention can include software within the IP stack that willanswer such a UDP broadcast request. Within the UDP packet is the IPaddress of the broadcasting deskside unit 102. For the sake ofsimplicity and ease of discussion, the problematic deskside unit 102,i.e., the deskside unit 102 that is having trouble receiving the userscreens from bladecenter 104 will be referred to herein as deskside unit102 a. The other deskside unit 102, i.e., the deskside unit 102 that isacting as the “proxy” to assist with problem isolations/resolution willbe referred to herein as deskside unit 102 b.

If deskside unit 102 a cannot find another deskside unit, i.e., cannotfind deskside unit 102 b within a predetermined timeout period, it ispresumed that the network is down (Step S208). The user is notified ofthis problem and instructed to contact the information technologydepartment for further assistance. Of course, if no user screens arereturned and deskside unit 102 a cannot locate another deskside unit102, it is also possible that deskside unit 102 a has had a majorfailure in which case the user would presumably also notify theinformation technology department of the same.

If another deskside unit 102 can be located, this other device is usedas a “proxy” for fault isolation and problem resolution (Step S210). Asnoted above, deskside 102 b serves this purpose as described herein.

The step of using another deskside unit 102 as a proxy for faultisolation and problem resolution (Step S210) is explained in detail withreference to FIG. 3. If another deskside unit 102, such as deskside unit102 b is located, deskside unit 102 a transmits a request to proxydeskside unit 102 b inquiring as to whether deskside unit 102 b cancommunicate with bladecenter 104 (Step S300). If proxy deskside unit 102b cannot communicate with bladecenter 104, proxy deskside unit 102 bnotifies deskside unit 102 a that deskside unit 102 b cannot communicatewith bladecenter 104 and that communication network 106 must be down atsome point between deskside units 102 and bladecenter 104 (Step S302).In addition, it is also contemplated that, upon receiving indicationfrom proxy deskside unit 102 b that it cannot communicate withbladecenter 104, deskside unit 102 a can make the determination thatcommunication network 106 is down. In either case, the user is notifiedof the network outage. A message can be generated and transmitted to theinformation technology department alerting of the network outage and theuser can be instructed to contact the information technology group(because it is possible that the network outage may render theinformation technology group unreachable through communication network106).

If the proxy deskside unit 102 b can communicate with bladecenter 104,deskside unit 102 a instructs proxy deskside unit 102 b to notifybladecenter 104 that deskside unit 102 a cannot connect (Step S304).Bladecenter 104, via bladecenter controller 110, tests deskside blade108 assigned to deskside unit 102 a (Step S306). If the desktopbladecenter 108 is good (Step S308), bladecenter controller 110 rebootsblade 108 (Step S310). If the desktop blade 108 is not good, bladecentercontroller 110 assigns another desktop blade 108 (Step S312), and thefailed blade action policy is implemented (Step S314).

For example, a failed blade action policy may include notifying aparticular information technology professional that blade has failed,automatically powering down the failed desktop blade 108, performingautomated diagnostics on failed desktop blade 108 and/or creating logentries, etc.

Regardless of whether the desktop blade 108 is good and was rebooted(Step S310) or failed and a new blade assigned, proxy deskside unit 102b is used to facilitate notification processing to further assist withisolation and resolution (Step S316) and the process returns to stepS200 (see FIG. 2) so that the user can try to log onto the desktop blade108 again.

Step S316 is described in detail with reference to FIG. 4. Bladecenter104, via bladecenter controller 110, sends an instruction packet toproxy deskside unit 102 b indicating the action that was taken (StepS400), e.g., that the desktop blade 108 assigned to desktop unit 102 ahas been rebooted or that the new desktop blade 108 has been assigned todeskside unit 102 a. Proxy deskside unit 102 b forwards the instructionpacket to the deskside unit under test, i.e., deskside unit 102 a (StepS402). Deskside unit 102 b waits for a predetermined time for desksideunit 102 a to respond to acknowledge receipt of the instruction (StepS404). If an acknowledgment was received, it is assumed that desksideunit 102 a is operational and the process ends. In this case, either theproblem has been resolved by the assignment of a new desktop blade 108or there is a problem with communication network 106 and the informationtechnology department has been notified or the user is instructed tonotify the information technology department.

If acknowledgment is not received from deskside unit 102 a, proxydeskside unit 102 b performs diagnostic testing on deskside unit 102 ain an attempt to further isolate the fault (Step S406). Actualdiagnostic tests like memory tests, software operation, networkcommunication interface tests, and the like are known and are beyond thescope of the present invention. If deskside unit 102 a passes thediagnostic testing, it is known that deskside unit 102 a is operationaland that, because the original blade 102 a assigned to deskside unit 102a is operational or has been substituted with another desktop unit 108,the network connection from deskside unit 102 a to bladecenter 104 isdown (Step S410).

Proxy deskside unit 102 b reports the communication network failure tothe information technology department (Step S412) and alerts desksideunit 102 a that another deskside unit 102 should be used as a proxy tocommunicate with desktop blade 108 (Step S414). In this case, althoughcommunications with bladecenter 104 may be slower due to the additionalrouting that packets between deskside unit 102 a and desktop blade 108will take, communications will at least enable the user to perform work.Of note, if, in accordance with Step S414, a deskside unit 102 is neededby deskside unit 102 a for communication with desktop blade 108, anyother deskside unit 102 can be used. Put another way, the proxy desksideunit is not limited to the deskside unit 102 b that initially respondedto the request from deskside unit 102 a for assistance, described abovewith respect to Steps S206 and S210. In determining which deskside unit102 will assist deskside unit 102 a as a communication proxy for actualwork (as opposed to fault isolation), algorithms such as using thedeskside unit with the lowest processor load, fastest communicationresponse time, etc., can be used.

If deskside unit 102 a does not pass the diagnostic testing (Step S408)it is determined that deskside unit 102 a has failed (Step S416). Proxydeskside unit 102 b reports the failure (Step S418) to the informationtechnology department. In addition, if deskside unit 102 a is partiallyoperational, proxy deskside unit 102 b can alert deskside unit 102 a ofthe failure so that the user can also be notified of the failure andthat the information technology department has been alerted.

It is contemplated that notifying the information technology group inany fashion described above can result in the automatic generation of atrouble ticket. Depending on the failure, information relating to thetrouble ticket can be provided to the user so that the user hasconfidence that the problem has been identified and that the informationtechnology group has been notified and will attend to the problem.

Although the present invention has been described within the context ofa computer using deskside units 102 and bladecenters 104, the inventionis not limited to such. It is contemplated that the present inventioncan be implemented in any environment which uses units proximate a user,i.e., on a user side of a network, coupled to or in communication with abank of centrally located processing devices. For example, the presentinvention can be implemented in a cable television network for isolationdetermining problems between set-top cable boxes and/or cable modems andcable company controllers located at a cable company facility. Thepresent invention can also be implemented in a telephone system fordetermining problems between a telephone, DSL modem, etc. located at auser facility and telephone company controlled equipment located at atelephone company facility.

The present invention can be realized in hardware, software, or acombination of hardware and software. An implementation of the methodand system of the present invention can be realized in a centralizedfashion in one computer system, or in a distributed fashion wheredifferent elements are spread across several interconnected computersystems. Any kind of computer system, or other apparatus adapted forcarrying out the methods described herein, is suited to perform thefunctions described herein.

A typical combination of hardware and software could be a generalpurpose computer system with a computer program that, when being loadedand executed, controls the computer system such that it carries out themethods described herein. The present invention can also be embedded ina computer program product, which comprises all the features enablingthe implementation of the methods described herein, and which, whenloaded in a computer system is able to carry out these methods.

Computer program or application in the present context means anyexpression, in any language, code or notation, of a set of instructionsintended to cause a system having an information processing capabilityto perform a particular function either directly or after either or bothof the following a) conversion to another language, code or notation; b)reproduction in a different material form. Significantly, this inventioncan be embodied in other specific forms without departing from thespirit or essential attributes thereof, and accordingly, referenceshould be had to the following claims, rather than to the foregoingspecification, as indicating the scope of the invention.

1. A system for remotely isolating faults in computer network devicescoupled to a computer network, the system comprising; a plurality offirst computer units coupled to the computer network, the plurality offirst computer units located on a user side of the computer network; anda plurality of second computer units coupled to the computer network,the plurality of second computer units located on a service providerside of the network, a one of the plurality of second computer unitsbeing designated to provide computing services to one of the pluralityof first computer units; wherein a one of the plurality of firstcomputer units experiencing a fault communicating with its designatedsecond computer unit uses another of the plurality of first computerunits as a proxy computer unit to remotely isolate the fault.
 2. Thesystem according to claim 1, further comprising a bladecenter, whereinthe plurality of first computer units are deskside units in a desktopblade system and the plurality of second computer units are desktopblades included as part of a bladecenter.
 3. The system according toclaim 2, wherein the deskside unit experiencing the fault communicatingwith its designated desktop instructs the bladecenter to diagnosticallytest the desktop blade assigned to the deskside unit experiencing thefault, the bladecenter rebooting the desktop blade assigned to thedeskside unit experiencing the fault if the desktop blade assigned tothe deskside unit experiencing the fault passes the diagnostic tests,the bladecenter assigning another desktop blade to the deskside unitexperiencing the fault if the desktop blade assigned to the desksideunit experiencing the fault fails the diagnostic tests.
 4. The systemaccording to claim 3, wherein the bladecenter instructs the proxydeskside unit to transmit a packet to the deskside unit experiencing thefault, the packet including data indicating whether the originallyassigned desktop blade has been rebooted or whether another desktopblade has been assigned.
 5. The system according to claim 4, wherein, ifthe proxy deskside unit does not receive a response from the desksideunit experiencing the fault acknowledging that the data packet wasreceived, the proxy deskside unit performs diagnostic testing on thedeskside unit experiencing the fault to further isolate the fault. 6.The system according to claim 5, wherein, if the deskside unitexperiencing the fault passes the diagnostic testing: the communicationnetwork is determined to have failed at a point between the desksideunit experiencing the fault and the bladecenter; the failure isreported; and the deskside unit experiencing the fault uses anotherdeskside unit to communicate with the desktop blade assigned to desksideunit experiencing the fault; and if the deskside unit experiencing thefault fails the diagnostic testing: the deskside experiencing the faultis determined to have a failure and the failure is reported.
 7. Thesystem according to claim 3, wherein the deskside unit experiencing thefault communicating with its designated desktop blade uses one of a UDPprotocol and a registration class broadcast protocol to communicate withthe proxy deskside unit to instruct the bladecenter to diagnosticallytest the desktop blade assigned to the deskside unit experiencing thefault.
 8. A method for remotely isolating faults in computer networkdevices coupled to a computer network, the computer network devicesincluding a plurality of first computer units coupled to the computernetwork, the plurality of first computer units located on a user side ofthe computer network and a plurality of second computer units coupled tothe computer network, the plurality of second computer units located ona service provider side of the network, a one of the plurality of secondcomputer units being designated to provide computing services to one ofthe plurality of first computer units, the method comprising:determining that a one of the plurality of first computer units isexperiencing a fault communicating with its designated second computerunit; and using another of the plurality of first computer units as aproxy computer unit to remotely isolate the fault.
 9. The methodaccording to claim 8, wherein the plurality of first computer units aredeskside units in a desktop blade system and the plurality of secondcomputer units are desktop blades included as part of a bladecenter. 10.The method according to claim 9, wherein using another of the pluralityof first computer units as a proxy computer unit to remotely isolate thefault comprises: instructing the bladecenter to diagnostically test thedesktop blade assigned to the deskside unit experiencing the fault,rebooting the desktop blade assigned to the deskside unit experiencingthe fault if the desktop blade assigned to the deskside unitexperiencing the fault passes the diagnostic tests; and assigninganother desktop blade to the deskside unit experiencing the fault if thedesktop blade assigned to the deskside unit experiencing the fault failsthe diagnostic tests.
 11. The method according to claim 10, whereinusing another of the plurality of first computer units as a proxycomputer unit to remotely isolate the fault further comprisesinstructing the proxy deskside unit to transmit a packet to the desksideunit experiencing the fault, the packet including data indicatingwhether the originally assigned desktop blade has been rebooted orwhether another desktop blade has been assigned.
 12. The methodaccording to claim 11, wherein using another of the plurality of firstcomputer units as a proxy computer unit to remotely isolate the faultfurther comprises, if the proxy deskside unit does not receive aresponse from the deskside unit experiencing the fault acknowledgingthat the data packet was received, performing diagnostic testing on thedeskside unit experiencing the fault to further isolate the fault. 13.The method according to claim 12, wherein, if the deskside unitexperiencing the fault passes the diagnostic testing, using another ofthe plurality of first computer units as a proxy computer unit toremotely isolate the fault further comprises: determining that thecommunication network has failed at a point between the deskside unitexperiencing the fault and the bladecenter; reporting the failure; andhaving the deskside unit experiencing the fault use another desksideunit to communicate with the desktop blade assigned to deskside unitexperiencing the fault; and wherein, if the deskside unit experiencingthe fault fails the diagnostic testing, using another of the pluralityof first computer units as a proxy computer unit to remotely isolate thefault further comprises: determining that the deskside experiencing thefault has a failure; and reporting the failure.
 14. The method accordingto claim 10, wherein the deskside unit experiencing the faultcommunicating with its designated desktop blade uses one of a UDPprotocol and a registration class broadcast protocol to communicate withthe proxy deskside unit to instruct the bladecenter to diagnosticallytest the desktop blade assigned to the deskside unit experiencing thefault.
 15. A machine readable storage device having stored thereon acomputer program for remotely isolating faults in computer networkdevices coupled to a computer network, the computer network devicesincluding a plurality of first computer units coupled to the computernetwork, the plurality of first computer units located on a user side ofthe computer network and a plurality of second computer units coupled tothe computer network, the plurality of second computer units located ona service provider side of the network, a one of the plurality of secondcomputer units being designated to provide computing services to one ofthe plurality of first computer units, the computer program comprising aset of instructions which when executed by a machine causes the machineto perform a method including: determining that a one of the pluralityof first computer units is experiencing a fault communicating with itsdesignated second computer unit; and using another of the plurality offirst computer units as a proxy computer unit to remotely isolate thefault.
 16. The method according to claim 15, wherein the plurality offirst computer units are deskside units in a desktop blade system andthe plurality of second computer units are desktop blades included aspart of a bladecenter.
 17. The method according to claim 16, whereinusing another of the plurality of first computer units as a proxycomputer unit to remotely isolate the fault comprises: instructing thebladecenter to diagnostically test the desktop blade assigned to thedeskside unit experiencing the fault, rebooting the desktop bladeassigned to the deskside unit experiencing the fault if the desktopblade assigned to the deskside unit experiencing the fault passes thediagnostic tests; and assigning another desktop blade to the desksideunit experiencing the fault if the desktop blade assigned to thedeskside unit experiencing the fault fails the diagnostic tests.
 18. Themethod according to claim 17, wherein using another of the plurality offirst computer units as a proxy computer unit to remotely isolate thefault further comprises instructing the proxy deskside unit to transmita packet to the deskside unit experiencing the fault, the packetincluding data indicating whether the originally assigned desktop bladehas been rebooted or whether another desktop blade has been assigned.19. The method according to claim 18, wherein using another of theplurality of first computer units as a proxy computer unit to remotelyisolate the fault further comprises, if the proxy deskside unit does notreceive a response from the deskside unit experiencing the faultacknowledging that the data packet was received, performing diagnostictesting on the deskside unit experiencing the fault to further isolatethe fault.
 20. The method according to claim 19, wherein, if thedeskside unit experiencing the fault passes the diagnostic testing,using another of the plurality of first computer units as a proxycomputer unit to remotely isolate the fault further comprises:determining that the communication network has failed at a point betweenthe deskside unit experiencing the fault and the bladecenter; reportingthe failure; and having the deskside unit experiencing the fault useanother deskside unit to communicate with the desktop blade assigned todeskside unit experiencing the fault; and wherein, if the deskside unitexperiencing the fault fails the diagnostic testing, using another ofthe plurality of first computer units as a proxy computer unit toremotely isolate the fault further comprises: determining that thedeskside experiencing the fault has a failure; and reporting thefailure.